Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015 Committee: Special Political and Decolonization Committee (GA4)

Issue: Preventing the imposition of policies on former colonized states

Student Officer: Louis Borloz

Position: Deputy Chair

INTRODUCTION

Ever since the emergence of imperialistic concepts, colonies and relevant territories have

constituted areas of particular interest and importance to all powers in the world. Over the last centuries,

social ideals have undergone significant change and have thereby altered the mindset of many. An

illustration of this point may very well be found in the numerous revolutions that called for self-

government and independence; revolutions ignited by newly established rights and the human desire to

freely choose one’s fate. In the past, this notion became increasingly popular amongst minorities when 13

of Great Britain’s North American colonies declared independence in 1775 and resulted into the

recognition of the United States sovereignty over the territory through the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Even though such political ideas have existed for numerous centuries, rulers and powers who

were/are determined to undermine people with said ideas have existed for far longer. As many former

colonized states are structurally and economically weak, superpowers attempt to impose policies upon

these states, often to their own benefit. Additionally, it is also likely that superpowers imprint their own

culture onto their (former) colonial subjects.

As a result, various major countries and organizations have become involved in this issue.

Nevertheless such powers have failed to this day to solve the problem entirely, signaling that a massive

group effort may be expected for us to overcome this world-wide matter.

DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS

Policies

A policy is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are

generally adopted by the Board of or senior governance body within an organization, whereas

procedures or protocols would be developed and adopted by senior executive officers.

A policy cycle, a theory developed by Harold Lasswell, is used in order to analyse the development of

a policy. One version has the following stages:

1. Problem identification - The recognition that a certain subject/problem requires further

government attention.

2. Policy Formulation - this involves going through a variety of options/courses of action available

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015

for addressing the problem (such as dialogue, consolidation, appraisal, dialogue)

3. Decision-making - here the government decides a final course of action; whether to continue the

policy status quo or alter it - decisions may be positive, negative, or ‘no-action’.

4. Implementation - the ultimate decision will be put into practice.

5. Evaluation - the public policy’s effectiveness is assessed in relation to its intentions and results.

Policy actors direct whether the policy is a success or failure through evaluating its impact and

outcomes.

A different, eight-step policy cycle:

1. Issue identification

2. Policy analysis

3. Policy instrument development

4. Consultation

5. Coordination

6. Decision

7. Implementation

8. Evaluation

Colonialism

According to Concise Oxford English Dictionary, colonialism is the “policy or practice of acquiring full

or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it

economically.” Potentially also a policy, colonialism is the practice of a power/nation expanding control

over economically, socially and politically weaker areas. Thus the stronger power has control and

governing influence over such dependent countries, territories or people.

Different forms of colonialism exist, where historians usually distinguish between two over-

lapping types:

1. Settler colonialism - this involves extensive immigration, often motivated by religious,

political, or economic reasons.

2. Exploitation colonialism - this requires fewer colonists, who focus on access to resources for

export, usually to the metropole. Plantation colonies are considered to be an illustration of

exploitation colonialism.

Further types of colonialism may also include surrogate and internal colonialism. Surrogate

colonialism involves a settlement plan supported by a colonial power, where the majority of the settlers

do not derive from the mainstream of the ruling power. On the other hand, internal colonialism is the

belief of an irregular structural power between areas of a nation state. The source of exploitation comes

from within the state.

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015 Colonial empires throughout the three last centuries

1885

1945

2015

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015 Independence

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, independence refers to the state, at which a country

enjoys freedom from being governed or ruled by another country. In other words, independence is the

condition of a nation, where the population exercises self-government, and enjoys sovereignty, over the

territory. A dependent territory displays the opposite of independence, and it should be noted that

independence does not necessarily correspond to freedom.

Historically, there have been three major periods of declaring independence:

1. from 1776 to the Revolutions of 1848 in Europe

2. the immediate consequences of the First World War following the independence of the Ottoman

and Austro-Hungarian empires

3. 1945 to 1979, 70 new independent states were formed from European colonial empires.

Self- determination

While self-determination daily refers to the determination of one’s own fate and course of action at

free will, without having to consult others; in this case it is linked to its political meaning; it is the freedom

and right of a nation/people to determine their political status and the way, in which they shall be

governed (or self-governed) without any influence from outside. More specifically, the UN Charter clarifies

that self- determination may be taken on two meanings

i. “the right of a state to freely choose its political, economic, social and cultural systems”,

ii. “the right to of a people to constitute itself in a state or otherwise freely determine the form if

its association with an existing state”;

It is interesting to note at this stage, that in regards to dependent territories, the UN Charter

highlights the importance of administrative authorities ensuring political advancement and

development of self- government for the former.

Autonomy

Coming from the greek αὐτο - “self" and νόμος "law", ‘autonomy’ means "one who gives oneself

one's own law” and is a concept found in political philosophy, amongst others. The word is often used as

the basis for determining moral responsibility and accountability for one's actions. In this case, ‘autonomy’

is used to refer to the self-government of the people.

Over the past decades, there has been a large movement of autonomism that has emerged in the

form of anarchism.

Neo-colonialism

Neocolonialism altogether serves to describe the practice of developed countries to control less

developed countries through indirect capitalistic means, such as transnational corporations and previous

economic arrangements. The emergence of this term can be traced back to European policies in the 20th

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015

Picture: Kwame Nkrumah was the Ghanaian politician who coined

the term "Neo-colonialism.

centuries, which allowed for European powers to maintain their control over African and other

dependencies. Neo-colonialism is the key in understanding this issue and will be addressed in more detail

in further sections of the paper.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

When the United Nations was founded in 1945, almost a third of the world's population ( ~ 750

million), lived in dependent territories belonging to colonial empires. Today, less than 2 million people live

under colonial rule in the 17 remaining UN non-self-governing territories. The huge impact of

decolonisation, which changed the face of the planet, was born with the UN and represents for many the

organization’s first huge success.

More specifically, as decolonisation and its practice continued to advance in the 20th century , the

UN General Assembly responded by adopting the ‘Declaration on the Granting of Independence’ to

colonial countries and its residents. The declaration stated that everyone has the right to self-

determination and declared that colonialism should be brought to an immediate and unquestioning end.

“What we need now are creative solutions for the remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories. If the United

Nations is to fulfil its obligations in supporting the legitimate aspirations of the peoples of these

Territories, a pragmatic and realistic approach -- taking into account the specific circum-stances of each --

is most likely to lead to concrete results.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message

to the 2010 Session of the Special

Committee on Decolonisation 25

February 2010

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015 Varying colonial policies until the early 20th century

Great Britain

With the exception of the United States, whose colonial empire was far more minute, Great Britain

could adapt itself more easily to the new distribution than any of the other colonial powers. The British

policy of regarding colonies not as attributes to the ruler’s nation but as countries with their own unique

ways of life eased autonomous development. The colonial residents were given an increasing portion in

the governing councils and public service, thus were started on what came to be a standard cycle building

up to self-government and then independence. This was a cycle which was tested again in India, Ceylon,

and elsewhere in the years between wars. World War II brought both a popularity of the concept that

colonial rule forced responsibility for the well-being of dependent peoples and an acceptance of the

necessity to move rapidly to end colonialism. India’s independence, in 1947, started a practice of

decolonisation that tore down the British empire in Asia, most of Africa and the West Indies. To this day,

the British have been able to reshape most colonies into independent states within the structure of old

policies that were already in operation.

France

France, on the other hand, was forced to halt its

development and take many steps backwards. In contrast to

the British, the French celebrated the policy of cultural,

economic, and political assimilation. France’s aid for her

colonies increased by a considerate amount after the Second

World War, and many reforms were produced by the

government, but the links between the colonies and France

were not destroyed until the independence of the former.

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015 Belgium

The Belgians focused on Brussels, as the French did in Paris. However, they did not act as France

when it came to associating Africans with them in the imperial centre, nor as Britain did in drawing the

Congolese into the local administration and governing councils. The Belgian government, the giant

corporations, and the church made colossal strides in economic development, and to a lesser extent in

welfare and education. The Belgian philosophy of colonialism explicitly excluded the creation of a

privileged class until mass education would have spread widely and a middle class come into being.

Portugal

The Portuguese are a fourth variant of colonialism, ruling over an empire which reached from Goa

to Macao, Mozambique and Angola. Being the oldest of the Western colonial powers, Portugal continues

to protest that she has no non-self-governing peoples but only equal states of a single, indivisible kingdom.

Indirect colonialism in the 20th and 21st century

Having presented the ways in each some of the greatest powers exerted influence on their

colonies, this paper will now turn to the 20th and 21st century. This will be done in order to shed light on

the ways in which powerful countries have been able to exert influence on their former colonies in the last

65 years. Altogether, it is worth noting that developed countries’ influence on former colonies can best be

explained through the notion of neo-colonialism.

More specifically, neo-colonialism theory argues that developed states exert influence on less

developed ones through the apparatus of economic, financial and trade policies of transnational

corporations and global institutions. With regard to transnational corporations, it is a widely held belief

that the investment in LEDCs coming from developed countries often keeps the LEDCs in a state of

constant dependency, whilst the developed countries ensure themselves cheap labour and raw materials.

At the same time, international financial institutions also play a big part in making LEDCs dependant on

developed countries. More precisely, financial institutions, such as the IMF and World Bank, have over the

last 40 years contributed financial and other aid to LEDCs under the condition that they will carry through

changes of a neoliberal nature that will embrace the relevant economic and political ideals. What becomes

obvious at this stage, is that nowadays former colonies are experiencing different forms of pressure on

their policy development. As colonies these states had little say in the decision taken by their rulers. Today,

on the other hand, former colonies are forced into opting for specific policies that will allow them to

survive in the market-oriented environment they have been placed in by developed states and the

institutions they have created. In other words, developed countries’ influence over their former colonies

has transformed from a form of territorial colonization to a form of economic colonization.

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015

MAJOR COUNTRIES AND ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED

What becomes obvious from the above, is that this particular issue is rather complex to break

down. In modern literature, economic colonization appears to be an inherent part of capitalism and

policies, where the market arbitrates. Consequently, it is hard to elaborate on other organizations, besides

the abovementioned IMF, World Bank and the relevant financial institutions and corporations.

United Nations

The United Nations set up a Special Committee in 1962 on Decolonisation, which was established

to monitor its implementation. Through the UN and its different organs, principally the Economic and

Social Council, former colonies have undergone impressive change on areas, such as political structure and

economy. However, the fact remains that most of the former colonies are still very much dependant on

Western developed countries and their institutions, whilst the UN has been unable to effectively interfere

with the market’s effect on LEDCs.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

This paper will provide readers with an overview of the decolonization and will then go on to include

important dates with regard to development of former colonies.

Year Coloniser Event

1776 Great

Thirteen colonies of British America declare their independence.

Britain

1852 Ottoman Montenegro declares independence. Voluntarily united with Serbia as

Empire Yugoslavia in 1918.

1867 Great The United Kingdom grants autonomy (self-government) to Canada.

Britain

1869 Ottoman Serbia declares its full independence. Renamed Yugoslavia in 1918.

Empire

1877 - Ottoman The United Principalities of Romania, Bulgaria and Albania declare

1912 Empire their independence.

1916 - Russian The independence of Russian Poland as a new kingdom is

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015

1918 Empire proclaimed. Finland, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Republic of

Georgia, Republic of Armenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declare

independence, although still occupied by the Soviet Union until 1991.

1918 Austria - Bohemia, Moravia, and sections of Silesia, Galicia, and Hungary

Hungary declare their independence as Czechoslovakia.

1948 Soviet Democratic People's Republic of Korea is established in the northern

Union part of the peninsula.

1991 Soviet Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia,

Union Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,

Russia and Turkmenistan become independent from the Soviet Union.

1993 Ethiopia Eritrea, a former Italian colony declares independence.

2011 Sudan South Sudan formally achieves independence.

And here is a Timeline with all important resolutions adopted related to this matter:

Date Description of Event

December 14th 1960 Resolution 1514 calling for prompt and unconditional end to

colonialism in all its forms and manifestations

December 21st 1965 Resolution 2106 reaffirming the condemning of colonialism and all

segregationist and discriminatory practices

November 24th 1981 Resolution 36/51 – Read section on previous attempts

November 22nd 1988 Resolution 43/47 declaring 1990/2000 the international decade for

the eradication of colonialism

December 8th 1997 Resolution 55/146 declaring 2001-2010 second international decade

for eradication of colonialism in all forms

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015

PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO SOLVE THE ISSUE

As mentioned above, the complexity of this issue makes it very hard to address. Whereas the UN

has made a lot of progress on the actual decolonization of territories, setting former colonies free of the

burden economic dependence has presented the UN with a challenge that the organization has failed to

effectively address. Nevertheless, a document of particular interest is Resolution 36/51, which adopted by

the General Assembly on the 24th of November 1981. This particular resolution called for an end to and/ or

control of activities of foreign economic and other interests, which are impending the implementation of

the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Finding solutions on this issue also presents the International Community with a challenge, as the

different members have different interests to pursue. What becomes obvious, however is that former

colonies have to be encouraged to grow in such a way that will make them able to effectively manage their

resources and advantages, in order to gradually gain more power in the international market and thereby

become less dependent on other countries. At the same time, it is important that the International

Community establish an environment, within which former colonies will receive support and thereby be

protected by foreign involvement that is accompanied by too high of a cost.

Taking resolution 36/51 as a starting point, possible solutions may include:

i. The establishment of Special Committee that monitors is foreign financial activities in former

colonies id of benefit to the latter

ii. Assistance of the former colonies in developing more solid laws regarding foreign corporations in

the respective countries

iii. A call to the International Community to respect the former colonies’ permanent sovereignty over

certain resources.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Self-determination, Encyclopedia Britannica

<http://www.britannica.com/topic/self-determination>

Neocolonialism, Encyclopedia Britannica

<http://www.britannica.com/topic/neocolonialism>

United Nations – Colonialism

<http://www.colonialismreparation.org/en/condemnation/united-

Costeas-Geitonas School Model United Nations 2015 nations-colonialism.html>

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/independence

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/colonialism

http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/declaration.shtml

http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/36/a36r051.htm

http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/

Decolonization,Wikipedia

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decolonization>

Open Door Policy, Wikipedia

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Door_Policy>

Policy, Wikipedia <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy>

Colonialism Definitions, Wikipedia

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonialism#Definitions>

Colonialism <http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Colonialism.aspx>

Colonialism and State Dependency, Taiaiake Alfred, Ph.D., School of

Indigenous Governance, University of Victoria

<http://web.uvic.ca/igov/uploads/pdf/NAHO%20GTA%20paper.pdf>

With Consensus Text, Special Committee on Decolonization Calls on

United States to Expedite Process Allowing Puerto Rico to Fully

Exercise Self-Determination

<http://www.un.org/press/en/2012/gacol3240.doc.htm>

Pictures‘ and Graphs‘ Bibliography -http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/File:World_map_DUS.png –

-https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Atlas_of_colonialism

-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocolonialism

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